don't put herself forward. But when you've got a young lady on your
hands, you've GOT her, and you feel bound to keep doin' something
for her all the time; and if you don't know what to do yourself, and
your wife can't tell--"

I added intelligently, "Yes."

"Well, that's just where it is. Sometimes I wish the whole dumb
town would burn up." I laughed and laughed; and my friend, having
begun to unpack his heart, went on to ease it of the rest of its
load. I had not waited for this before making some reflections
concerning him, but I now formulated them to myself. He really had
none of that reserve I had attributed to him the night before; it
was merely caution and this is the case with most country people.
They are cautious, but not reserved; if they think they can trust
you, they keep back none of their affairs; and this is the American
character, for we are nearly all country people. I understood him
perfectly when he said, "I ruther break stone than go through what I
have been through the last week! You understand how it is. 'Tain't
as if she said anything; I wish she would; but you feel all the
while that it ain't what she expected it to be, and you feel as if
it was you that was to blame for the failure. By George! if any man
was to come along and make an offer for my contract I would sell out
cheap. It's worse because my wife asked her to come, and thought
she was doin' her all kinds of a favour to let her. They've always
been together, and when we talked of coming to Saratoga this summer,
nothing would do my wife but Julia must come with us. Her and her
father usually take a trip off somewhere in the hot weather, but
this time he couldn't leave; president of our National Bank, and
president of the village, too." He threw in the fact of these